Following interview of Bhai Mohammed Husain Topiwala, Singapore, by Mudar Patherya

 

Syedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb had come to Singapore in 1952. There was a long list of mumineen who wanted him to grace their premises in the short time that he was there. On one of the occasions when mumineen were pleading with him for a ziyaafat, Muqaddas Maula said “Bhai Burhanuddin ne layi jaao.” I saw mumineen turn reluctant but out of azamat not saying anything to Muqaddas Maula. Then I heard Muqaddas Maula say, “Bhai Burhanuddin na qadam na neeche ghani barakat chhey.” 

 

Forty years later, my six year old son went out with his cousins to buy something in Singapore. While crossing the road, he was hit by a car. The impact sent him flying and when he landed, he hit the corner of the pavement kerb on the other side of the road. That must have been a distance of some 15 feet from the point of accident. 

 

The impact must have been severe for he began to foam at the mouth. His cousins called me and said, “Taher nu accident thayi chhey.” It took me ten minutes to reach the spot, put him into an ambulance and take him to the nearest hospital. Since I was wearing a saya, kurta, izaar and topi, the compounder on duty in the ambulance, confirmed whether I was a Muslim and asked me to recite my dua. “Your son looks serious and we might not reach the hospital in time.”

 

We reached the hospital in the next few minutes. The doctor came in immediately to check my son. “Ten per cent chance,” he pronounced. After 10 minutes, three neurosurgeons checked him and discovered a crack in his skull. 

 

Meanwhile, our aamil saheb, who had already reached the hospital, suggested that we send a message immediately to Huzurala in Bombay. Aqa Maula was at a ziyaafat when we called; when the matter was explained, he replied, “Dikra na baava ne kaho ke fikar na kare.”

 

Meanwhile, the doctors found that my son’s lungs had been punctured, his ribcage broken and skull cracked. It took a four-hour surgery to put some repair in place with the provision that the following 24 hours would be critical. 

 

Twelve hours later, the doctors checked with fear. Surprise. They could not locate the skull crack. That’s right. Could not locate the skull crack. The doctor was surprised and confused at the same time. He had never seen anything like this. So he checked the X-ray of the previous day. And then he checked the X-ray that he now had in his hand. He checked whether it belonged to the same boy. He checked the administration records to check for any clerical error. And then he looked more confused than ever. 

 

When I asked when my son could be shifted from the ICU, the doctors said ‘at least a week’. He was out of the ICU on the fourth day, taken home on the eleventh day and advised rest for three months. The doctor cautioned: my son could face memory loss or psychological disorder. 

 

He is 22 and completely normal. 

 

I regret having misplaced the two X-rays. The one with the crack and the one without. I would have framed them on the wall as a testimony of the power of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb.

 

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